BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

FRACTAL AGGREGATION 2)5)

← Back

T. WITTEN and L.M. SANDER described this method of clustering elements in a fractal way (as quoted by I. STEWART, 1992): "They started with a single "seed" particle, and created a growing cluster by allowing tiny circular particles to attach themselves one at a time.

Succesive new particles moved towards the cluster in a "random walk", a series of random motions in all directions… Wherever the particles hit, they stuck. This process, which is known as diffusion limited aggregation, or DIA, leads to delicate branching structures. Very similar forms are seen in nature: not only in soot, but also in the electrodeposition of metals and the growth of colonies of bacteria" (p.14).

H. SABELLI observes that the repetition of a simple fractal structure allows for the construction of complex and irregular structures, starting from a minimal genetic message. (pers. comm.)

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

Publisher

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]

We thank the following partners for making the open access of this volume possible:

© 2020 BCSSS Contact/Imprint